ingredient 2—abundance via generosity · our lives. the first step of creating abundance in the...
TRANSCRIPT
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................p.1
Focus..........................p.2
Free to Fail.................p.2
Scripture.....................p.3
The Experiment……...p.4
Grocery List…………..p.5
Steeping..……….…....p.5
Introduction: Picture this... Many years ago, before Catherine and I lived in SoCe, we owned a
home that was within walking distance of the church where I
worked. The first house I passed on my way to work belonged to my
neighbor, Elaine. From time to time she would be on her front porch
or working in her yard. Whenever I would see her I would feel my
chest tighten with anxiety for a couple of reasons. First, I am an
introvert and fear talking with folks in unstructured settings. Second,
I was afraid talking to Elaine would make me late for work.
One day during a time of asking the Holy Spirit to teach me, I felt a
nudge that I needed to be open to visiting with my neighbor, Elaine.
When I named my concerns the Holy Spirit responded with this
insight: “In the kingdom of God, there is enough. Practice generosity
by greeting your neighbor and you’ll be drawing on the resources of
the kingdom.” That sounds
nice, doesn’t it? Well, here
is my confession: I didn’t
believe the Spirit. I really
thought if I spoke to my
neighbor I was going to be
late for work. So, instead
of acting in confidence, I
acted in experiment. The
next time I passed Elaine’s
house and saw her on her
front porch I stopped and introduced myself. I learned that she and
her husband had lived in this home for many years, that her name
was Elaine, and that she was happy to have Catherine and I as
neighbors. Then the conversation ended. Easy!
Ingredient 2—Abundance via Generosity
Week #1.4
About the Authors:
Matt Johnson and Adam
Barlow-Thompson
The Good Neighbor
Experiment was co-created by
Adam and Matt. When
applicable you’ll note they
identify themselves for the
purposes of sharing stories.
You can reach them at:
This content is part of The Good Neighbor Experiment by SoCe Life. Copyright (c) 2017. Used by permission of
SoCe Life, 417 E. Gilbert, Wichita, KS 67211 www.neighboringmovement.org
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I walked on to work with a sense of peacefulness and provision
pulsing through my heart. When I arrived at my office I checked the
clock and discovered I had arrived precisely when I wanted to. It
turns out the Holy Spirit was speaking truth about the kingdom of
God, there really is enough.
Focus: Abundance Fuels Neighboring Good neighboring flows out of a sense of abundance. When we
operate with a sense that there is enough (time, money, energy,
knowledge, giftedness) then it is easier to be present to people. We
can hear their stories, help out on projects, linger in our front yard,
offer a friend a ride, and play with sidewalk chalk in the driveway.
Antithetically when we live from a place of scarcity, it fuels isolation
and limits neighboring. There are many voices in advertisements,
news and entertainment telling us there is not enough! “You’re not
pretty enough.” “You’re not smart enough.” “You’re not rich
enough.” “You’re not important enough.” “You’re not happy
enough.” “You're not lovable enough.” These voices offer a solution
that involves purchasing a new product, enrolling in a new program,
and/or consuming something else. Consuming, working, and doing
are not inherently evil, but when they are fueled by scarcity it is an
equation that just does not add up. Our societal narrative says 2 + 2
= 5. We keep doing the math and getting 4, to which the narrative
of our society says, “Oh, you got 4? Then you need to: work,
consume, and do even more, and next time you’ll get 5.”
As followers of Jesus, we are invited to hear a different voice. It is
the voice of God, speaking words of provision and care, abundance
and enoughness. It is the voice of a shepherd, restoring our soul. It
is the voice of a parent, calling to a child. It is the voice of a
physician, bringing healing. It is the voice of a prophet, bringing
liberation. It is the voice of a lover, calling to the beloved.
Free to Fail I can imagine there were some folks (not you, of course) who read my opening story about talking with Elaine and thought, “That’s nice for you, Matthew, but you don’t have my neighbor, or my schedule.” Which is absolutely true. I’m not inviting you into a binding legalism that requires you to always stop and talk to your neighbors. I’m inviting you to discover God’s abundance in your life, which can surface in surprising places and ways. I’ve learned this through failure.
I have had other neighbors who wanted to talk longer than I had time to. At first, I was shocked because I thought the Holy Spirit would somehow make time stand still, but instead I was late for my meeting. Eventually I realized I was operating with a scarcity of self-worth instead of time. I was afraid to set a time boundary with my neighbor because I wanted that person to like me. Once I realized this, I tried another experiment and began setting healthy boundaries with my neighbors, and it was good.
And, so you know this is not a sitcom with a nice bow on the end, I am now working on my scarcity of vocation, which has a tremendous impact on my ability to be present to my neighbors. Here is what I mean: my work is mostly freelance, and that means every time an opportunity comes up, my default has been to accept the opportunity. That approach worked when I was just getting started, but as of late I have realized I’ve spread myself too thin and I’m not present in my neighborhood as much as I want to be. So now, I am asking the Holy Spirit to guide me in knowing what opportunities to say “yes” and “no” to.
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Scripture: Birds & Lilies Jesus saw through the scarcity of his own time to the heart of the issue,
and his teaching is just as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. I invite
you to read this passage of scripture slowly and take note of the words of
scarcity as well as the words of abundance and provision.
Matthew 6:25-34 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air;
they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any
of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do
you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was
not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field,
which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not
much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry,
saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well. 34So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
God delights in creation and gives food and adornment to the tiniest of
things. Likewise, God delights in you. Jesus wisely invites us to do two
things in this passage. First, he invites us to “look at” and “consider” the
birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He knows there is a wisdom in
creation that will help us move past the scarcity and anxiety that can so
easily drive us.
Second, Jesus invites us to “strive first for the kingdom of God.” The
kingdom of God is a powerful phrase that is layered
with significant meaning and mystery. We cannot fully
plumb the depths of this phrase. However, we can
grasp pieces of what the kingdom of God is as well as
how to strive first for it. For example, part of life in the
kingdom is an interactive relationship with God, just as
we discussed last week. As we learn to make space for
the Spirit to guide us, we experience life in the
kingdom.
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information about our
work.
Neighboring
Movement
by SoCe Life
417 E. Gilbert
Wichita, KS 67213
Phone: 316-619-4940
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The kingdom of God is also a place of provision. God desires our good
and is actively seeking to provide for us. However, we live in the
tension of knowing that while God has provided enough, many in the
world are driven by a sense of scarcity which generates greed and
justifies violence, and produces actual scarcity for others. We must
navigate this tension as we come to understand how God is at work in
our lives. The first step of creating abundance in the world is
confronting scarcity in our hearts and minds. If humanity lived from a
place of contented abundance there would be enough for everyone.
We can experience life in the kingdom of God by learning to allow the
Holy Spirit to guide us and by celebrating the ways God is at work in
our lives and world. My experience of being guided by the Holy Spirit
to meet my neighbor Elaine and discovering that my sense of scarcity
was an illusion is one of the clearest examples of the reality of God’s
kingdom that I have ever experienced.
The Experiment This week practice generosity with your neighbors. Keep in mind that
generosity is not just about money, but can include time, energy,
resources, and knowledge. Begin by looking for areas of abundance in
your own life. Perhaps you have a little extra time one evening, or
maybe you have an abundance of tomatoes, or maybe you have
This content is part of The Good Neighbor Experiment by SoCe Life. Copyright (c) 2017. Used by permission of SoCe
Life, 417 E. Gilbert, Wichita, KS 67211 www.neighboringmovement.org
Good neighbor-
ing is defined
as the act of
connecting with
the people who
live near to you,
by focusing on
long-term rela-
tionships, the
gifts they bring,
and the joy of
connecting.
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knowledge that would be helpful to a neighbor. Once you
have identified this abundance, find time to share it. As you
do so, let it be a joyful, playful practice of joining into God’s
unfolding kingdom in the world around you.
At the end of each day reflect on these questions:
• When did I practice generosity today? As things come to
mind offer a prayer of thanks for the grace of that
moment.
• When did I experience scarcity today? If a moment
comes to mind, do not judge yourself, but instead reflect
on that moment, becoming more aware of your
experience of scarcity. Then invite the Spirit to help you
find a different response the next time an opportunity like
that arises. (Remember, the abundance of God’s love
applies to you as well!)
Grocery List Neighboring soup is made up of Abundance, Relationship
and Joy. As we live into an interactive relationship with
God, we will discover abundance from God’s provision.
From this loving relationship with God and this place of
enoughness we are more comfortable forming
relationships with others, and all of this abundance and
relationship will foster joy in our lives.
Steeping
Here are a few questions for reflection. You may want to write down your thoughts in a journal, or find a
trusted friend and discuss these questions with each other. This will prepare you for conversation and
activities in your weekly small group gathering.
1. How do you see scarcity and abundance at work in your life? How do those things impact your
relationships with your neighbors?
2. In what ways does this week’s explanation of the kingdom of God compare and contrast with what you
have previously heard?
3. Based on Jesus’ guidance to consider the lilies and the birds, recall a time you have been outside and
experienced enoughness. Where were you? How did it feel? How did it impact you?
This content is part of The Good Neighbor Experiment by SoCe Life. Copyright (c) 2017. Used by permission of SoCe
Life, 417 E. Gilbert, Wichita, KS 67211 www.neighboringmovement.org